CPRIT mission on track despite controversy, director says

The 3-year-old Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas — which is expected to dole out $3 billion to companies, individuals and institutions this decade — is working to regain the public’s trust after receiving nationwide attention from the resignation of two Noble laureates and 31 scientists who accused the state agency of “hucksterism” and “preferential treatment.”

Houston has won the largest percentage of statewide funding since the agency’s inception — around $358.7 million — according to CRPIT’s website. A statewide total of about $755 millon through 427 grants has been awarded so far.

CPRIT Executive Director William Gimson said the Austin-based agency is taking steps to improve transparency.

“CPRIT has gone through its adolescence, and it’s moving toward its mission,” he said.

The agency, which has gone from a handful of employees to 24 since its formation, had been focused on quickly getting the organization operating since it was only approved for 10 years, Gimson said. But now the agency is focusing on health impact, performance measures and bringing discoveries from academics to commercialization, he said.

“First and foremost, we have hired a chief compliance officer. In many ways, this person is an ombudsman for Texas,” Gimson said.

Patricia Vojack’s responsibility in the new job is to ensure to the oversight committee that all grants go through the proper process, undergo an external peer review, have complete due diligence and are submitted via the requirements that CPRIT established. Vojack was previously special counsel in the Privacy Office at the Texas Comptroller’s office.

The agency is also undergoing a review by the State Auditor’s office of its grant-making processes and management to be released in January. Since 2009, the agency has had 19 required internal and financial audits.

CPRIT is also conducting its Future Directions Initiative, which will determine how it prioritizes resources, ways to improve processes and how it will view success, Gimson said.

“We are currently distilling those into small usable recommendations that will go before the oversight committee in January,” Gimson said.

The agency is still working with a national search firm to hire a new chief scientific officer.

Despite all the controversy, Gimson said the agency has had no problems finding interested candidates. He expects to announce a replacement for Nobel laureate Dr. Alfred Gilman by the end of the year.

Gilman submitted his resignation in May but stayed on board until October to finish a cycle of reviews, as did the scientists who resigned with him.

For now, the mass resignation of peer reviewers is not impacting CPRIT, which is between review cycles, Gimson said. The new chief scientific officer is expected to bring new peer reviewers on board.

Scientific review

Gilman’s biggest issue was with a $20 million grant awarded for an incubator project at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston that some scientists allege was fast-tracked through the commercialization review and never received a full scientific review.

After the criticism, the grant was taken back to undergo another review that will include both commercialization and scientific review, which Gimson said will be required of all incubator grants from now on.

“We have put in place corrective actions, and we are focused on moving forward,” said Gimson, who conceded that the grant could have been handled differently.

CPRIT will need to move cautiously, said Patricia Gray, professor and director of research and external affairs at the University of Houston Law Center.

“It does appear CPRIT is trying to walk a fine line,” Gray said. “Will have to step back and look long and hard at what they’re going to do going forward.”

The organization has about 140 scientists in its academic research portfolio, 70 in prevention and 25 in commercialization. The scientists are paid an undisclosed honorarium for each review cycle they participate in, of which there are typically two per year per portfolio.

CPRIT, which is financed by general obligation bonds, is required to go before the Texas Legislature every session to request additional funds for the next two years.

In 2013, the agency is expected to be appropriated $48 million in debt service for the next biennium.

Vicky Garza is a reporter with Austin Business Journal, an affiliated publication. BAYAN RAJI covers health care for the Houston Business Journal. Reach her at braji@bizjournals.com, 713-395-9632 or twitter.com/hbjraji.